Nottingham Man Caught with Child Abuse Images Gets Suspended Sentence

NOTTINGHAM MAN CAUGHT WITH CHILD ABUSE IMAGES GETS SUSPENDED SENTENCE

Police were called in when security staff at a Nottingham shopping centre caught a man taking pictures of building work.

James Sinclair's photography was described as completely innocent, but he was asked to delete the pictures of the building work by security at the intu Broadmarsh.

As Sinclair reviewed his images on his phone, one displayed an adult and a child.

He then 'became panicky', according to prosecutor Esther Harrison.

She told Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday (March 8) that Sinclair, 49, was asked to surrender his devices—including a memory stick and a Samsung phone.

The court heard Sinclair had not taken photos of the major demolition at the old bus station, but rather of another part of the shopping centre's building work.

Police subsequently searched Sinclair's residence, seizing a laptop, five memory sticks, and a mobile phone, all containing nearly 400 indecent images of children.

The majority of these images fell into the lowest category of seriousness.

At court, Sinclair, who had no prior convictions, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.

Judge Gregory Dickinson QC ordered him to register as a sex offender and to be subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

He was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months, with supervision from the probation service.